Investigations on influence of nano and micron sized particles of SiC on performance properties of PEEK coatings

In the present work, silicon carbide (SiC) particles in various concentrations were selected as reinforcement for poly (ether ether ketone) to develop coatings by electrostatic spray coating method. These were then characterised for thermal physical, chemical and thermo-mechanical properties followed by evaluation of hardness and scratch adhesion. One more composite coating containing 3% nano-particles of SiC was developed to compare the performance with the counterpart with equal amount in micron size. Incorporation of increasing amount of particles (till 15%) improved the scratch hardness significantly and further loading deterorated the performance confirming 15 wt% was optimum amount for best performance. Nano-filler coating showed significantly better performance than its counter-part. These investigations indicated the potential of SiC particles for performance enhancement, which clearly depended on amount and size.